Govt staff, politicos must send kids to govt schools: Allahabad HC

Taking a serious note of the poor condition of primary schools in Uttar Pradesh, the Allahabad high court directed the chief secretary on Tuesday to ensure that the children or wards of government employees, people's representatives and judges be sent to primary schools run by the government.

Taking a serious note of the poor condition of primary schools in Uttar Pradesh, the Allahabad high court directed the chief secretary on Tuesday to ensure that the children or wards of government employees, people's representatives and judges be sent to primary schools run by the government.

The court observed that state government may make provisions to impose fine or penalty on government employees who send their children to private schools instead of government schools so as to discourage them. The money collected shall be used for the betterment of government schools, it observed.

The court was of the view that if officials and government servants sent their wards to primary schools, they would become serious enough to ensure that primary schools are running properly.

The single bench of Justice Sudhir Agarwal directed the chief secretary of UP to take steps within six months to make the afforesaid directions effective from the next accademic session and to submit a compliance report to the court -- in form of an affidavit immediately after the expiry of six months.

The court's directions came on a petition filed by Umesh Kumar Singh and others. The petition was about the appointment of assistant teachers of science and maths in UP's pimary schools. The court observed that primary schools, which are catering to the needs of 90% of the state's school-going children, were in poor condition but concerned officials did not care about them.